Printing companies South Africa Best Deals
UPDATED 2024 / 2025
Table of Contents:
- History of Printing Companies
- Printing Companies Johannesburg
- Printing Companies Durban
- Printing companies Cape Town
- Printing Companies Pretoria
- Directory of Printing Companies
- Frequently Asked Questions
Printing companies have been a backbone industry in the development of the human race in all spheres of our existence, from religion to industry to education. This article provides a brief glimpse into when printing started its very few first steps in South Africa and lists information regarding some better know printing companies that exist in this country today.
History of Printing Companies
The beginnings of print are thought to have originated around 3500BC in Persia. It was a good number of years before it graced the shores of South Africa in the late 1700s. Johannes Christian Ritter is the first person who started printing in the then Dutch colony of the Cape around 1795. Christian is on record as having arrived in 1784 so maybe a printing press was part of his luggage? Valentine Alexius Schoonberg published the first book in South Africa in 1799. Not a lengthy read as it only consisted of 8 pages and the content was religious. Johannes Christian Ritter is thought to have printed it.
Printing was the new technology of the day but it came with restrictions. The government of that time was not comfortable with the printed word. It could potentially be used to rock the political boat in a manner that was much more effective than rumour mongering. In 1828 came the much-anticipated freedom of the press which gave printing companies a lot more room to move in. There were still a few censorships in place in various forms over the following years.
Reverend Robert Moffat established a mission just outside the town of Kuruman In 1816. By 1831 he became the proud owner of an iron hand press which he initially used to print various religious articles. The first Southern African language Bible was printed in Tswana by 1857. Reverend Moffat carried on and used the hand press to produce over 100 works before his retirement in 1870. The machine has been preserved and has been used occasionally to print commemorative items.
Georg Schmidt, a German missionary, established the oldest mission station in 1738 in Genadendal. It would appear that they started printing religious texts in the earlier 1800s. The Genadendal museum displays this press. It is called a Colombian and was designed by George Clymer in 1813 and they were quite popular in Europe.
Printing Companies in 2021
There are over 1,500 printing companies in South Africa which collectively employ well over 50,000 people. These companies range in size from large companies like Novus Holdings and CTP Print which prints books, diaries, magazines and a range of other commercial products including catalogues, magazine inserts and annual reports.
Over 1,000 printing companies are small to medium-sized businesses (SMMEs) that generally specialise in a particular type of printing like office stationery, brochures, packaging, corporate gifts, banners and flags. Some specialise in short runs and others in long runs. Some only offer litho printing services, others only digital printing services and some a combination of the two.
Complete Print works with many different printing companies because we specialise in finding the best print company for your printing job and your budget. Below are some of the printing companies in South Africa.
Johannesburg
>A listing of the Best printing companies
Complete Print will advise, source the best printer, get the quotes and manage your print job at no cost to you.
Typo Colour Printing Specialists
Typo Colour Printing Specialists was established in 1934 as a small, family-run jobbing shop in Troyeville, Johannesburg. Now in its 82nd year, the company has evolved into what is arguably one of the most sophisticated and highly respected commercial printing, finishing and binding companies in the country.
Their printing operation runs 24/7 and they are the most efficient group you can deal with in the print industry!
The Bureau Print is a long-established printing company in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is known in the industry as a market leader with a reputation as a high-quality printer. The printing, finishing and IT infrastructures are cutting-edge technology. Each project is treated with care and attention and service is always fast and friendly.
They are a one-stop shop and offer graphic design as well.
Apple Print and Packaging offer a complete range of printing products no matter how small or large. Their quality and attention to detail is superb, and their service is personalised and efficient. Apple Print and Packaging do digital printing, print-on-demand, printing, and mailing. They are based in Johannesburg.
A to Z Print is a printing company in Johannesburg that was established in 1995. They specialise in short to medium-run litho and digital printing. They have a particularly good reputation within the printing industry for calendar production, diaries, and promotional items, which they have done for the last 10 years. They print personalised diaries for corporates and schools and offer a wide range of calendar production possibilities and promotional items of all types from T-Shirts to banners to pens.
Although Monty Print specialised in financial printing products for many years, they have broadened their scope and can print everything from basic stationery to brochures to perfect bound books and magazines to posters and full-colour newsletters. Monty Print is based in Johannesburg and has many advertising agencies on its client list.
Jetline is one of South Africa’s most trusted printing companies. It was established over 30 years ago and has evolved with the times to ensure they provide the most advanced printing and branding services. Jetline’s head office is in Johannesburg but they have franchises all over South Africa. They print offer both small and large printing services and produce everything from billboards and gazebos to stationery and brochures. They are dedicated to providing excellent service as well as high-quality products.
Ten years ago a father and son team, Chris and Michael Templer moved to Linden in Johannesburg where they bought a small printing company. They have grown exponentially in this time and produce high-quality work. Their digital printing offers short-run solutions for smaller and more urgent printing jobs and their lithographic printing service caters to larger runs of full-colour brochures, annual reports, and even books. The Templers attribute their loyal customer base to their ability to consistently offer excellent service, quality, and price.
Specialising in print packaging. They will work with you from the design of your package through to the manufacturing of the dies, printing, varnishing, folding, and glueing. They also offer the option of tube packaging, which many printers do not.
Shereno Printers is one of the leading printing companies in Johannesburg and have a client base that stretches across South Africa and even abroad. They are a dynamic and innovative printing company that offers digital printing, lithographic printing, and web printing. They also offer full design and DTP services to their clients. Shereno Printers are an official South African Government Printer based in Johannesburg with an office in Pretoria. They seem to have found a sweet spot in their operational structure as they are known to deliver on time, every time. Something that they are obviously very proud of.
Boksburg is another printing company that has stood the test of time. They have been in business for over 60 years and have an outstanding reputation in the marketplace for producing quality, affordable printing and packaging. Boksburg Print is one of those printing companies that are passionate about printing. They use the latest litho and digital print technology run by highly-skilled staff who approach every job, big or small, to deliver a top-quality product. They constantly strive for improvement and, as a result, have a company culture that ensures that there is no complacency in their factory and that their work is of a consistently high standard. Boksburg Print has also had the foresight to invest in solar technology so that it can deliver despite the energy crisis currently challenging South African businesses.
Mailtronic Direct Marketing, as its name suggests, is a printing company that specialises in Direct Marketing. They offer a complete direct marketing service from pre-press, design & layout to litho printing, flat sheet and full-colour printing to IT & database processing and formatting to fulfilment services. They even make envelopes! Mailtronic is based in Johannesburg and was established in 1991. It started with completely manual direct marketing solutions and has grown into a fully automated turn-key print solution. Printing, mailing, and packaging of all sizes and scopes are offered to businesses in South Africa and beyond. They have an excellent service record that they work hard to maintain and their mission is to constantly strive to improve their standards and remain the preferred supplier in the digital marketing industry.
The Lesedi 7 Group printing company in Johannesburg was established in 2009 and is one of the new kids on the block. Despite being a newbie in the South African printing industry they have already established a reputation for providing a top-notch printing service that extends beyond the printed product by offering a full creative service to their clients. They are a 100% black-owned company and are proud to be a part of such an important industry. Lesedi 7 Group offers a well-priced, quality product and remarkable service. They take the time to understand the unique environments of their clients and develop tailor-made printing strategies to develop real-world solutions that deliver results.
For Litho, continuous and digital printing, Renform is a fine choice to go with. Renform began as a computer form supplier in 1989 but has developed into a well-run wide service offering business including variable, continuous, and data security.
Lebone is one of those printing companies in Johannesburg that are extremely proud of their consistent delivery of high-quality products from their colour commercial litho sheetfed, web, and digital printing services. They are 100% black-owned, and the employee profile reflects a 95% inclusion of historically disadvantaged individuals. They have a high-level, experienced, management team to deal with their client’s diverse needs as well as their substantial internal human resources.
Durban
Pro-Print has been in the printing industry for 50 years and is still run by the same family that started it all those years ago. It has grown from a small print shop into a large one that has kept up with technological growth and the high demand for quality printing. Based in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, Pro-Print print offer pre-press, die-cutting, glueing, folding, attach-a-leaflet and braille printing as well as standard litho printing services.
Atlas Printers is a large printing and packaging company based in Durban that provides top-quality products to both the South African and International markets. They are an award-winning printing company that has been in the printing industry for 65 years. With their commitment to service and quality throughout the years, they have grown into one of the industry’s leading printing companies. Their dedication has certainly paid off as is evident in the many awards they have won including the award for best packaging and label printer in the world at the prestigious SAPPI International Printers of the Year competition.
Established in 1985, this impressive Durban-based plant has invested in some high-tech printing equipment. They are a Heidelberg plant (this is top-class German technology) and have a full array of equipment including a heat-set web press.
Great people to deal with and service to match!
As a technology and market leader in the supply of print products and services, Uniprint helps brands to communicate their offerings, services and benefits more effectively.
The company began when Virjee Mehta arrived in South Africa from India in 1914, and Mahatma Gandhi employed him as a compositor for his newspaper, Indian Opinion. Twelve years later, in 1926, Virjee left to establish Universal Printing Works
Uniprint is now part of the diverse Hirt & Carter Group of companies and is based at Cornubia Industrial Business Estate in Durban.
Cape Town
List of printing companies in Cape Town
These two great printing companies have now merged to form a big player in the market. Some really serious rolling power with a reputation for quality and speed to market. Their quoting speed is one of the best in the market!
Good for: Quality 4 colour sheetfed and digital bookwork.
Great set-up and very well run. This is the place to go if you want promotional products produced! They can from clothing (+caps and headbands) to coffee mugs and printed stationery. Very nice people and very helpful.
Based in Bellville, this small but well-run company will do anything from business cards to doming and work wear.
Owned and run by Brenda Cronk known for her previous print shop “Cronkie’s”
This well-run print shop offers a wide range of small-run products. From Annual reports to fridge magnets. Well run and delivery times are always adhered to!
Good for: Agency-type work that does not require standard sheetfed printing
Novus Print is a division of Novus Holdings and is a giant in the South African printing industry. They have a national network of specialised plants equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables them to deliver almost any form of printing service.
They are constantly investing in technology and, as such, are industry leaders. Established about 100 years ago they are also one of the oldest printing companies in South Africa. Nova Print has the fastest gravure printing press in Africa which can print 2,5 million A4 pages per hour and their web offset printers can push out a 65,000 magazine print run in an hour.
They pride themselves on offering a printing service that caters for all the possible printing requirements of their customers so they are also able to produce smaller “print-on-demand” runs with their digital printing service. Nova Print’s turnkey services also include post-print services like inserting and collating and even distribution and logistics. Their head office is in Cape Town but they do have branches in most major cities in South Africa.
CTP Printers is part of the Caxton Group which was founded in 1902 and is best known for producing weekly community newspapers across South Africa. They are a highly professional printing company that uses the latest printing technology to deliver publications of the highest quality.
They consider their investment in digital pre-press systems, collaborative online web-enabled proofing solutions and printing and bindery equipment as a prerequisite to offering their clients the most competitive and cost-effective solutions.
They are the first printer in Africa to have achieved the Fogra Press Standard Offset (PSO) certification. Their continual investment into the latest print production facilities in all their branches has put them in the position of being one of the largest and most advanced printing companies not only in South Africa but in the world.
They are quite possibly the most technologically advanced, privately owned print company in South Africa.
Their use of top-level presses, finishing and folding equipment and packaging machinery as well as having systems in place to ensure efficient workflow and quality management helps them to deliver the exceptional quality standards that they have become known for. Tandym makes a point of staying up to speed with the world’s newest technology printing trends.
Tandym Print is a strong family business. Established over 20 years ago by the late Basil Morkel, his wife Cecelia and their son Jerome it has built up a good history of dedication and success.
A great little set-up that provides on-the-spot results for your printing requirements.
Mostly small print work, but they can do a lot of amazing stuff. The only moan is that they are not open on a Saturday. They can be found in Claremont and Tokai.
Since 1992, Wizardz has established a reputation for fast, efficient digital printing solutions and super friendly service.
They have invested in the latest digital printing technology to ensure that we can continually provide the quality of product and service our cool customers have come to expect. The advancements in high-speed high definition printers have resulted in stunning print quality, with their equipment supplier claiming “lithographic quality at digital turnaround times”.
Advances in Digital Printing allow for Print on Demand solutions!
Print exactly what you need, quantities ranging from just 1 to 1,000’s!
Cadar Printers – Port Elizabeth
Cadar started in Port Elizabeth in 1959. It is still being run by the same family.
Apart from being a standard commercial printing company they also offer digital printing, desktop publishing and silk-screening.
Good for: Medical package inserts.
Who does not love Wellington?? Just North of Paarl.
This Great company was founded in 1966 and is now part of the CTP conglomerate (which is not a bad thing)They have a great range of packaging-specific equipment and supply the whole Boland region.
A fit, clean set up and if you need packaging and are in the Western Cape, give them a call!
From Banners to Flyers, from menus to bookwork this setup is geared to help a wide range of print requests.
Quick turnaround, they have been around for a long time and have a good reputation in the market!
Orms is well known in Cape Town for doing a wide variety of pre-press work. Situated on Roland street they will help you with anything from scanning to photo books and frame mounting. So if you need any digital work done on a very small scale they will be able to help. Also known for very high quality.
For small, wide and large format digital print. Their products include Business cards, booklets, wallpaper and pull-up banners. They print a massive range of products. Check out their website to see this amazing range of print.
StickerMix offers small to large print runs of a wide range of Custom Made products such as Large Format Printing; Wall Decals; Vehicle Decals; Domed Nameplates; Domed Shirt Name Badges; Button Badges; Key Rings; Bumper Stickers; License Disc Stickers; Vinyl Stickers & Labels.
They have a total of over 30 years of experience in the print industry which includes in-house designers and a very experienced technical team backing them up. They offer a fast, friendly service with the support of a professional sales team.
Printing digitally, in full colour, with high-quality, environment-friendly equipment on a wide variety of media. Their equipment is regularly serviced and upgraded to ensure the best quality reproduction.
For a printing company in Cape Town that suits all your needs please contact us!
Pretoria
Business Print is a state-of-the-art printing company in Pretoria. They offer full-colour printing of a wide range of products including business cards, flyers, brochures, stationery, magazines, textbooks, calendars and even packaging. Business Print is a company with a reputation as solid as its foundation that is based on “honest hard work, perfection and a love of print”. They take great pride in their commitment to customer satisfaction and their mission is to provide their clients with print solutions that meet their expectations every time.
Famous Print deliver exceptional design, communication and marketing solutions to satisfied clients in organizations and businesses large and small. Their expertise extends across a broad range of media, and their work produces results that inspire, influence and inform. Great for doing large digital format printing and loads more. They have been running since 2002.
This great outfit has a state-of-the-art Heidelberg Web Printer, opening Spektrum Print’s doors to larger quantity printing volumes, including Magazine and Newspaper printing.
They now boast a full house of services which includes the full circle of printing, starting from the design, reproduction and plates right through to full-colour printing and finishing. Finishing includes all printing necessities such as binding, UV varnishing, saddle stitching, collating, die-cutting, laminating, perforation and folding.
These guys do the whole gambit from Signage, Screen printing, Embroidery, and Large Format Digital Printing to Booklet Printing and Finishing, Label Printing, Canvas, Posters, Banners and Flag Printing. They have been in business for more than ten years and have qualified and experienced staff members who always go out of their way to do the best work they can do on time.
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